The Teen Years

Farewell Aughties! The year 2011 marks the beginning of a new decade – the Teens. And what would the first month of any New Year be without some forecasting? Thus, here are my observations of the changes still to come during the adolescence of the 21st Century.

Social Media. For those waiting for “proof of concept” before joining the revolution – enough already. You’ll never be perfect, so get in the game. Yet, there will be higher expectations for social media channels. Measurement rightly will become more important – to identify outcomes, to define value and to justify staff and budget.

And the business of social media…. Both Facebook and LinkedIn are expected to go IPO! Others will follow.

Grammar. Unlike Latin, English is not a dead language. As such, it’s time to become more comfortable with the morphing of texting conventions into every day business writing. Heretic, you say. In a day where good copy writers are a dying breed and newspapers can be riddled with typos, its easier to just adapt. (lack of apostrophe intentional) Generation Y will define the norms.

Global. If you can, learn a foreign language. Make it Spanish if you plan to stay stateside. Non-Hispanic whites will lose their majority status by 2042, if not sooner. If you believe, as I do, that the 21st Century will be the Asia-Pacific Century, try Mandarin Chinese.

Relationships. Video conferencing – via GoToMeeting, Skype or a yet to be determine technology – will increase in frequency. However, a person-to-person meeting around the boardroom table, a business dinner with steaks and salads or chat over coffee will remain critically important to develop solid relationships. In business, in media relations or in social circles who you know well will always matter.

Success. It requires knowledge, effort and bit of luck. Investment in continuing education and professional societies remain essential for advancement. They are good networking opportunities too.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 at 5:54 amand is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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